The present invention relates to an image forming device including transfer material carrier means which absorbs transfer material onto a transfer material carrier by use of static electricity and carries such transfer material. In particular the present invention relates to an image forming device which has a function to remove electricity from the transfer material absorbed onto the transfer material carrier means.
Conventionally, in an image forming device such as a copying machine, when paper clogging occurs in the course of carrying the transfer paper by means of a transfer belt, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 63-47245, the paper clogging is detected by detection means provided internally of the copying machine, and the contact of photosensitive material with the transfer belt is removed in accordance with such detection, which can prevent the photosensitive material from being damaged and can facilitate the removal of the clogged paper.
On the transfer paper on the insulating transfer belt, there are left electric charges which have been given during transfer, and the charges are stored into the body of an operator through the hand of the operator when the operator touches the transfer paper to remove the paper clogging. After that, if the operator touches a grounded conductor, then the electric charges are discharged to give electric shocks to the operator. Or, when removing the paper, a leak occurs between the electric charges previously stored in the operator's body and the electric charges of the transfer paper to thereby give electric shocks to the operator.
In a transfer paper carrier device which absorbs transfer paper by means of an electrostatic force onto a film member, if the transfer paper is charged with electric charges and the transfer paper is clogged while it exists on the film member, then the electric charges of the transfer paper are stored into the body of an operator when he or she tries of remove the clogged paper and, after removal of the transfer paper, if the operator touches a conductor, then the conductor is discharged to thereby apply electric shocks to the operator.
In order to avoid the above problems, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 6-59534, there is proposed a method in which an operation part to be touched by an operator is grounded through an electric resistor or a semiconductor and, when removing the clogged paper, after electric charges stored in the body of the operator are gradually removed or are neutralized, the operator touches the transfer paper, thereby preventing generation of electric shocks.
However, in a large-size copying machine which is capable of putting 4 sheets of A4 size transfer paper or 2 sheets of A3 size transfer paper on a transfer belt, two or more sheets of transfer paper may be clogged, in which stored charges cannot be neutralized because the quantity of charges stored in the transfer paper is large, so that the charges will be stored immediately in the body of an operator. That is, the above problem cannot be solved perfectly by the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. HEI 6-59534.